The College of Business intentionally embeds leadership instruction into all its programs, not just its Master of Science in Organizational Leadership. Graduates of programs from across the college, working in a variety of industries, point to leadership principles and skills they learned at Bellevue University as vital to their professional and personal growth.
Samantha Stadel has worked for a global financial technology company for more than a decade. As she began to advance through the organization, she noticed that leadership roles were abundant – but just out of reach, in large part because she lacked a degree that armed her with the skills and knowledge necessary to take the next step in her career.
So, Stadel earned her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership in 2021. What she learned has allowed her to grow as a leader and make a meaningful impact at work. She points specifically to courses that focused on strategic decision-making, conflict resolution, team dynamics and organizational behavior.
“This helps me to inspire and motivate the teams I support, foster innovation and drive positive change within the organization,” Stadel said. “The program makes connections that really help foster a deeper understanding of how to apply leadership principles specific to your role. It was helpful to see how these principles and theories applied to other roles and the need for continued learning in order to adapt to new challenges and the ever-evolving nature of the organization I support.”
Avi Tenenbaum operates a company that provides crisis training in psychological first aid to first responders and psychologists around the world. He’s helped people coping in the wake of numerous large-scale disasters and wars, including the Second Lebanon War, Hurricane Harvey, the Pittsburg Tree-of-Life massacre and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
No matter what the situation, effective leadership is vital. That’s why in 2022, acting on the recommendation of numerous colleagues, Tenenbaum earned his Master of Science in Educational Leadership through the College of Business. The program is part of a long-standing Bellevue University partnership with Yeshiva Initiatives Educational Programs, which allows Orthodox Jews to continue their education in an environment that does not conflict with their lifestyle demands and cultural customs.
Tenenbaum has extensive experience in social work, emergency medicine, law enforcement and disaster management, but he said nothing has proven to be more important to his career than the leadership concepts he learned through Bellevue University.
“The construct of leadership is so multi-faceted and at the base of every effort during chaos and crisis, when leadership is especially needed and scarce,” Tenenbaum said. “Using the concepts learned in this program I have repeatedly been able to effectively bring people together in complex situations to create safety and well-being for survivors of tragedy and disaster, as well as help my trainees study better about how to navigate crisis before a disaster strikes.”
Michael Pfeiffer is immersed in the digital world as a technology product manager, but as a student in the Master of Business Administration program, he’s learned leadership principles that span time and industries.
“Some may feel we live in unprecedented times,” said Pfeiffer, who’s pursuing a concentration in Cybersecurity. “But disruption is not unique to the digital era, and the classes in the MBA program present a time-tested framework for not only navigating uncertainty but leading others through it as well.”
He credits his College of Business professors for teaching him the “soft skills” necessary to effectively lead, not just the technical knowledge specific to his field.
“Thanks to this program, I’ve learned the interpersonal skills needed to communicate my insights to others with confidence,” Pfeiffer said.